Message from the SMA president on our upcoming conference in Spain

Hi SMA Members,

The SMA meets twice a year – with the AAA in the fall, and usually with the SfAA in the spring.  However, we have decided to meet once every four years at an independent location during the spring, instead of the SfAA.  In 2009, the SMA met at Yale University for a very successful conference.  And in June 2013, we will be meeting jointly with the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) and their Medical Anthropology Network (MAN) in Tarragona, Spain at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili.  We expect it will be equally successful, and we hope you can join us!

Please go to http://www.medical-anthropology-urv.cat/ to submit paper or film abstracts. To submit an abstract, press “Call for papers” or “Call for films,” and complete the abstract submission form. The deadline for abstract submissions is February 15, 2013. Also, on the website, is valuable information about skills-sharing workshops, participations of senior and junior scholars, challenges for the future, accomodations (including a map with the exact locations, and room prices in euros), conference venue information, and the organizing committee (under “credits”). Registration to pay for the conference fee (120 euros for regular registrants, and 60 euros for student registrants) will open on or about December 20th.  All registrants (whether giving a paper, showing a film, or just attending) will need to pay the registration fee beginning at that time.

Tarragona is about 60 miles southwest of the Barcelona International Airport, connected by bus.  A closer local airport, Reus Airport, is located just outside Tarragona.  The conference will be held at the main university in Tarragona, named the Universitat Rovira i Virgili.  Tarragona is a beautiful city with an excellent beach, and numerous historical sights and museums in the area.  The city of  Barcelona is 63 miles away.

This will be an excellent opportunity to meet medical anthropologists from all over the world, and learn what they are doing, as well as sharing information with them. We have received a Wenner-Gren grant, which will bring in about 30 medical anthropologists from developing/less developed countries. And, of course, we expect several hundred medical anthropologists from all over Europe.

See you in Spain this June!

Doug

Douglas A. Feldman, Ph.D.
Professor
The College at Brockport
State University of New York
President, Society for Medical Anthropology